Before Botany Bay
by Wulfydragon
Summary: What happened to Khan that he ended up on the ship Botany Bay, destined for exile in a cryogenic sleep? Khan's history is a web of tangled deceptions, lies, and unbreakable attachments. He's already lost everything, even before Admiral Marcus wakes him from the cold.
1. The Creator Returns

Khan sat on the edge of his bed, posture impeccably straight, as always, and let out a long breath through his nose. It was an hour until dawn, and he had slept long enough. The windows in the wall in front of him were all still dark, barely illuminated by the lighting in the courtyard outside. He could go join the morning watch, but likely they would insist he wasn't needed anyways, likely with overeager grins or hunched shoulders. He had given up confronting those; they weren't worth the effort. He shifted as a knock came at his door, clearing his throat. "Come in."

The door opened and Lana slid inside, shutting the door behind her with a resolute click. She was shuffling her feet after a twenty-four hour stretch of patrol. _Weak, _Khan thought automatically, face passive. "I just finished my shift," Lana sighed, in a voice much stronger and louder than the hour called for, "You'll never believe who I just happened across in the last five minutes," she reached up behind her to tug her auburn hair out of its ponytail, letting it fall down around her shoulders. Khan smiled slightly, knowing that if he remained silent she would remain in permanent silence until given some signal that he was paying attention, and briefly played with the concept of seeing how long the two of them could remain silent, then decided on the kinder alternative.

"Who?" he replied concisely, watching as she bent to unlace her boots before kicking off the heavy things with a thump onto the wooden floor.

"Director Janice," she hummed, as calmly as if announcing the mailman. Khan stiffened, frowning down at Lana. She ignored him for a moment, peeling off her socks and stuffing them into her boots. He was used to her complete lack of concern over taking over a space, and had stopped complaining. What else were friends for, really?

"Are you going to continue with that or are you going to leave me in suspense?" Khan deadpanned, arching an eyebrow slightly. She chuckled, standing and rolling her shoulders, obviously stalling just to irritate him. He audibly sighed, letting her know it was working, and to get over the game.

"She asked about you," Lana shrugged, crossing to the old dresser in the corner and rooting through the top drawer, which she had claimed as hers months ago. He assumed she found it more convenient than walking all the way back to her room when she spent so much time in his room. "Wanted to know what you were up to. Who you had talked to recently. I didn't tell her anything, so you can stop look at me like that," she added, even though she was facing away from him. He snorted, but he did rearrange his features into something less stern. So the Director had finally come back to check up on her precious experiments, had she? It had been years since her last checkup; likely she'd been travelling around the world to share notes with colleagues. He knew what she'd do now, and he was not looking forward to her manipulation.

"Thank you, for warning me," Khan sighed, regretting his earlier evaluation of Lana's strength, as silent as it was. She was still incredibly useful at gathering information; better for her physical inferiority, in fact. "Lana, you've been in that drawer for two minutes, what on earth are you looking for?"

"Did you move my shirt? You know, the one I slept in a couple of days ago?" She asked immediately, twisting to look over her shoulder, eyebrows raised.

"You mean the old lady nightie?" he quipped with a smirk, tilting his head towards the shirt, folded up neatly on the floor at the foot of the bed. She rolled her eyes, huffing at his expression, and shut the drawer.

"I'm only three years older than you, Khan," Lana reminded lightheartedly, crossing the room to retrieve the shirt, pursing her lips as she shook out his careful folds and tossed it on the bed beside him.

"I know," he chuckled as she peeled off the heavy patrol jacket and breathed a sigh of relief to be free of the tough padding. The rest of her clothes were shimmied off and dropped in a heap at her feet as Khan continued, "You're practically ancient." Lana pulled the overlarge shirt on, her sigh muffled in the fabric momentarily.

"If _I'm _ancient, I shudder to imagine what you call anybody over five years older than you. Do you actually tell them the same things to their faces? There's a _reason _you haven't got any friends," she scoffed, throwing herself onto the mattress backwards hard enough to jostle Khan. After a moment he let his back hit the bed beside her, a faint smile still on his face. She yanked the covers out of the bedframe and shifted up to slide under the sheets, glancing towards Khan with a smirk that said she knew exactly what she was doing. It was a hobby of hers to leave her things strewn in an untidy path through his quarters. As she curled up under the covers and tried to sleep for the first time in a complete day, Khan rolled up out of bed and crossed the room to shut the blinds over the windows. Dawn was not far away, and interrupting Lana's sleep with something as mundane as natural light would put her in a bad mood. That done, he made for the door. The Director would likely come to find him if he remained here, and he didn't want Lana to be associated with him quite yet; it would put her at a high risk, and it would only be too easy to manipulate him through some threat to her. He paused with his hand on the doorknob to glance back at Lana, the covers piled on top of her already rising slowly and evenly. Smirking slightly, he walked out, shutting the door gently behind him.

The hall was empty; unsurprising, at this hour. The patrol was changing shifts, but it would be the left wing's responsibility at the moment, and they hardly ever crossed into the right wing. Still, any Augments who were awake were likely crowding the cafeteria. The Director always avoided being outnumbered by her own creations. Khan had never blamed her for that. Wasn't it only common sense for the scientist who had raised the lions to be cautious around them? He knew that in other Augment bases that the directors who had made wrong moves had commonly been found dead. In fact, it was still ambiguous as to what had happened to Director Janice's partner. Director Frank had died under suspicious circumstances five years earlier, supposedly of natural causes. Khan had always suspected foul play, especially after Janice began to drastically change the training regime soon after Frank's demise. Suddenly, it had become a lot more war-oriented.

Deciding that the Director would be holed up in her quarters, deciding on her next move, he turned right and walked quickly forwards, keeping his hands relaxed at his sides. She would know he was coming through the security cameras dispersed liberally throughout the complex, and keeping her in the dark about his intentions was his highest priority. The fact that he had not yet decided on a course of action himself would be an advantage. Anything to keep her guessing.

* * *

2 YEARS EARLIER

The explosion rocked through the building, the floor tilting to an extreme angle beneath them. Lana stumbled into his side slightly, hissing a curse under her breath. "I'm pretty sure they forgot to mess around with the strands that handled grace," she muttered, looking frustrated as she kept a hand clenched in the material of his shirt, and Khan chuckled.

"That's the price for having been born first, unfortunately," he smirked, only laughing as she elbowed him. Their creators had been rather inexperienced with the first batch, and had steadily improved the further along they went. Khan, being one of the youngest, was one of the best. It was the way of things.

"Focus, Khan," The Director's voice bit harshly through his earpiece. Khan squared his jaw, exchanging a glance with Lana. They were here because the Director had manipulated them here. She had lied; Martin's death had been for naught. Another Augment, dead. She would not be forgiven easily.


	2. No Rights

Three minutes later and he was knocking sharply on her door, staring straight into the worn wood of the door until it swung open, the Director looking expectantly up at him. Janice had aged gracefully, for a non-Augment. Her blonde hair had begun graying at the temples, and her once-youthful face had gradually lined around the corners of her mouth and eyes. Even with encroaching age, her ice-blue eyes had not lost their spark. Khan had no doubt that Janice's intelligence had not wavered, and she was one of the only non-Augments that he had any respect for.

"Khan Noonien Singh," the Director muttered, looking him up and down once before remembering to smile, and stepped back into her room, opening the door further with her. "Come in."

"Had a good journey, I trust?" Khan hummed, stepping through the doorway and allowing Janice to shut the door behind him. Somebody had been alerted of her impending presence; the room was clean, and far less dusty than it should have been after two years.

"It was fine," Janice said, her voice clipped. She strode purposely past him, pulling a communicator out of her pocket and tapping in a quick message, eyebrows drawn together. "I've just come from America, actually. Spoke with Director Karen. She's beginning to worry me, honestly." Khan raised an eyebrow slightly, and she glanced over at him with an amused snort. "She's lost six Augments in the past two months. Two to in-fighting, the other four…" she shook her head.

"What? Don't leave me in suspense, Director," Khan prodded. The Director gave him a dark look, pursing her lips. She turned, setting down the communicator on her cluttered desk, and began straightening papers. _Always pausing for the dramatic effect, _Khan thought to himself, keeping his expression from becoming as scathing as he wished it could be.

"They were deemed failures. Shot in their sleep," She deadpanned, continuing to rifle through her mess as if she were looking for something in particular. "You know how they are about Augments. Not a lot of people see you as people, especially in areas of conflict… If they don't do their job, they can't be fired. They're just failed experiments." She fell silent, turning finally to look Khan in the eye. He found himself speechless, overtaken with a sudden fierce anger. Janice's face was blank. It was just a scientist giving facts; not even statistics that six people had died due to a careless Director. A colleague of hers had murdered four people in their sleep because they had yielded unexpected results. Khan couldn't help but wonder what their particular offenses had been. Explosive anger, perhaps? A lack of morals? Or the opposite, over-sentimentality? _Half the people I know would be subject to being put down if those are the grounds at which they decide we're failures._

"How many others? What about the base in Brazil? Mongolia? South Africa? India?" He demanded, stepping forwards quickly enough to startle the Director into backing into her desk. As she jolted, he jerked to a stop, inhaling sharply through his nose. _Stop. Look how she's looking at you. She's aware of her fragility. _This was not the time to lose control. Who was to say that this Director could be different than any of the other? After all, if all it took was a well-placed bullet to the head…

"Everyone's lost people," Janice replied after a moment of silence, still leaning backwards away from him slightly. "It's only Australia and us that haven't had casualties in the last two years."

"And I expect you couldn't say anything against it, am I right?" Khan growled, turning on his heel to pace across the floor. She had done it again; coming back after a prolonged absence, bringing with her strife and puzzles and unreasonable violence. _Deaths that could have been averted…_ Lana had said that exact thing to him. Even now, it stuck with him.

"It was unavoidable, Khan," The Director snapped, gripping the edge of the table behind her, knuckles white. "You haven't got any _rights,_ haven't you learned that by now? It's about time you proved your worth to the rest of humankind. There's a _war_ out there, and do you know what the sad truth is?" she spat, taking a step towards him, "You were _bred _for it."

* * *

2 YEARS EARLIER

"He's worthless, Khan!" The Director screamed, her face flushed with anger. The gun was sweaty in his hand, trying to slip from his grip. He tightened his fingers until the metal dented beneath them, all the while refusing to look at the Director. Martin did the same, staring through Khan as if he were sightless. No tears, no panic, no remorse. Perhaps Martin _was _an accident. _He's unfeeling. Janice insists he broke the rules. Killed a local. Hid the body. How does she know? _The little voice in the back of Khan's mind was really acting up today. He needed to fix that later. "I _said, shoot him!" _

Squaring his shoulders, Khan pressed the muzzle of the gun firmly against Martin's forehead. He ignored the muttering in the circle of people around them, blocked out Janice's nagging. "I'm sorry, Martin," he murmured, just loud enough for an Augment to hear. The Director would not even know he had spoken. Martin's eyes darted up for a split second. He leaned his head ever so slightly against the gun. _He didn't do it. Why is Janice lying? Sorry, Martin. _

Khan closed his eyes, cocked the gun, and pulled the trigger.


	3. Filters

Ten minutes later and Khan was in the courtyard, watching the patrol meander by on the rooftops. His hands were clasped tightly behind his back. He couldn't figure out how to feel about anything at the moment, so it was best to isolate himself away from anybody else. Gravel crunched behind him.

"Khan," Culann greeted, stepping up beside Khan with a slight dip of his head. Khan sighed, closing his eyes. Hardly surprising that Culann would find him now, when he was most likely to lash out in anger. "I hear you've been to see the Director already. What did she say?"

Khan turned his head to look at Culann directly. _He has no idea what's ahead for us. Better that he is warned now. _"There have been deaths. It's uncertain how long it will be until it will affect us," Khan said truthfully. Culann took a deep breath, looking up at the pinking sky.

"I see," he nodded, running a hand through his curly red hair. "That explains a lot, I suppose."

"Hmm?" Khan looked back towards him, interest peaked.

"The last time I went into town… well, the locals were less than happy to see us. Called us war mongrels, which I thought was a bit of an odd reaction to ordering a couple of pints," Culann shrugged. Khan frowned, tapping his thumb thoughtfully against his other hand. Then he turned on his heel, walking purposefully across the gravel towards the center atrium, expecting the other Augment to follow on principle. Culann jogged a few steps to catch up, mirroring Khan's expression. "Eh, where are we going, then?"

"I want to know what they've been filtering from us," Khan shrugged, giving a fleeting, reassuring smile before continuing, "But I'm going to need your help. I need you to bring me Sheridan, and possibly Charis. _If_ she's awake; I know she's prone to throwing shoes."

"That's for bloody certain," Culann grumbled, rubbing absently at his forehead. Khan smirked. He still remembered that particular mark. "Right, I'll go get Sheridan, at the very least," Culann nodded, then peeled off, kicking into a jog towards the right wing. Khan didn't pause to watch him go, just pushed forward, elbowing open the Atrium door as he reached it. The atrium was, essentially, the business part of the complex. Most of the training rooms were contained in its interior, and it was the only place in the complex where somebody could connect to the outside world. The news room itself was always occupied by at least one Augment; if anything major happened they would always have advance warning. Currently, the circular room was only occupied by Iris. She was sprawled across three of the chairs, pulled forwards until she could watch the news on her back, the television screens tilted down to an extreme angle until they faced the floor. Khan stepped forward, leaning into her vision.

"You finally decide to stop fooling around with Lana and be embraced by my _loving_ arms?" Iris drawled, shifting her gaze from the screen to Khan. He smirked.

"I imagine Sayen would be extremely displeased with me," he chuckled, tilting the screen out of his way. Iris sat up, shrugging.

"She'd get over it. _She_ could go fool around with Lana instead. Sayen could take better care of her than you could," Iris retorted, although her tone was less harsh than her words suggested. Even so, the words stung slightly. _We both know Lana has no delusions about it either._

"Sayen could take care of a lot of people better than I could," Khan shrugged, keeping his polite smile up. "Either way, unlikely to happen. Sayen and Lana have opposing patrol shifts. One of them would always be asleep."

"Oh, Khan, always the realist. What are you doing in my humble little throne room, anyways?" Iris snorted, arching her brows upwards. Khan was cut off by Culann sweeping into the room, Sheridan right behind him.

"Charis is in the process of waking up. She'll be down when she's had a shower," Culann reported, clapping Sheridan on the shoulder as he passed, still by the door. "And now I have to go see the Director; I'd stay, but you know how it is…" he shook his head. Khan nodded, waving.

"Go on, then. Thank you, by the way," Khan added, turning back to the screen and adjusting it so it was level with his head. Sheridan cleared his throat, approaching timidly from behind and stopping at Khan's shoulder.

"You asked for me?" he asked quietly, dark eyes darting around the room. _Always uncertain. He has no concept of arrogance. At least I don't need to worry about bruising his ego. Quite the opposite, actually. _

"Yes. I understand you're fairly adept at breaking through the filters," Khan replied, walking around Iris's homemade bed and crouching on the floor beneath the screen, where the wires entered the floor. "I'm going to need you to do that for me. Open up the news sources the outside locals are getting." He dug his fingers under the rug surrounding the panel he knew from experience was beneath, pulling it up and peeling it back until the brass was revealed. Why it had been made of brass when another metal would have done was a mystery to him, but it didn't necessarily matter. "Iris?" he prompted, holding out his hand in her general direction without turning. She sighed, but in a moment the metal file was in his hand.

"If you end up breaking that one of these days I fully expect you to go out to town and buy me another," She muttered. Khan cracked a smile, then pried the panel up from the floor. _I should go out and buy my own. I imagine the looks from the locals would be amusing. _

"Khan," Sheridan cleared his throat, kneeling by his side. Khan nodded, climbing to his feet and stepping back, giving the Augment space to work. Iris leaned forward, resting her chin on her fist.

"Is there a reason you nuts are digging through the filters again?" Iris hummed, looking expectantly at Khan. He sighed.

"The Director is back," was all he had to say for her to nod, averting her eyes towards the television screen. Remembering Martin. The screen flickered, static filling the speakers as Sheridan worked his magic in the control panel. After a moment, he sat back, looking expectantly upwards at it. It was another moment before the image cleared and the audio returned.

"…_tage of the Augment attack on *shrkp* that assassinated America's *shhrkp*… Viewer discretion *shrk* is advised…" _the audio crackled, cutting out in key places where the filter must have been strongest. The Augments in the room all shifted forward slightly as the image flipped to a grainy security footage.

Wherever it was, the building was rich, and the squad of six figures in the video were armed to the teeth. They were shouting at each other. Two broke into fighting seconds later, dropping their guns and lunging forward to slam their fists into each other. From the force of it, they must've been Augments. The other four made no effort to split them up, each with a hand to one of their ears. Earpieces, then. They turned, reluctantly, and ran out of frame. The next camera that caught them taped them dragging a man into frame, the leader's hand clenched around the back of his neck. They seemed to be arguing amongst themselves, ignoring the man in their grasp. The audio came back on, the newsman's voiceover continuing; _"…*shrkp* fights back…" _and, indeed, the man caught by the Augments was struggling in the figure's hand, jerking his elbow back into the Augment's face. The figure's head snapped back to absorb the blow, and as the man slammed his heel back into the figure's instep, the Augment brought their gun up to the back of the man's head and pulled the trigger. The image returned to the newsman. _"…The Augments responsible have been put down. The two seen earlier were found dead, and it appears that *shhnkrp* each other to death. Director Karen of the *shrk* Institute said in a public statement yesterday that Augments should be *shp* with extreme caution. Many officials are calling for inspections of these special 'Institutes' to take place, and that any Augments not meeting U.N. regulations for genetic experiments should be *shrrrrRRKKKKK*…"_The audio cut off with a sharp crackle, both Iris and Khan looking to Sheridan as he cursed, bending back over the control panel, fumbling with wires.

"It's no use," Sheridan sighed after a minute, leaning back on his heels as the television apparently reset itself. "Whoever's out there controlling the filter just sent a reboot signal. I don't think we should try again." Khan nodded, brow furrowed. Janice had told him partial truths, then. Yet she had failed to mention the assassination, or the public unrest. _What game is she playing at, keeping that from us? Does she plan to comply with the inspections? _

"Well, that was interesting," Iris muttered, tilting her head towards Khan slightly. "Any particular reason you wanted to bypass the filters so much just to see that?" Khan gave her a sharp look.

"No. Not yet," he shook his head. _Better not worry them with half-truths. I won't do what the Director has done to me._

* * *

2 YEARS EARLIER

"What do you mean Martin's committed homicide?" Lana scoffed, her hands pausing in Khan's hair. She had been combing her fingers through it; a favorite pastime of hers. He didn't mind it.

"He's killed the bartender in the town bar," Khan shook his head, staring out the window at the sunset. Lana took a deep breath, leaning back slightly. "Director Janice just told me."

"I- I can't take her at her word. You know that," she muttered. He twisted to gauge her expression. She was upset; shoulders suddenly much tenser than they had been a moment ago. _She doesn't like being the one informed. She's too used to finding things out alone. _"Is there a body?" she continued, grasping at straws. Khan shook his head, slowly.

"They've been unable to locate it. I'm sure they'll find it."

"Sure, Khan. Sure."


	4. Discussing Directors

Charis slipped through the door a moment later, Sheridan immediately shrinking back, as if trying to lessen his involvement. "What was I woken up for?" she asked calmly, eyes flitting directly to Khan. Iris leaned away this time.

"We thought we could use your technical skill… turns out its, well. A bit late, I suppose," Khan cleared his throat. Charis continued staring at him. _Has she always been that good at a dead look? _There was a long, awkward silence.

"Don't let it happen again," Charis said in a monotone, turning slowly and exiting through the door as smoothly as she'd entered. The room breathed a small, collective sigh of relief.

"Was it really necessary to invite Charis? I can deal with the filters most of the time…" Sheridan murmured, sliding the control panel back into its place and smoothing the rug over it again.

"I was actually a bit more concerned with her being awake with the Director home," Khan sighed, straightening the hem of his shirt. "Janice never liked her."

"Hold up, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Iris cut in, frowning.

"I'm saying we all need to be a little bit more cautious now. Or didn't you see the footage?" Khan snorted, jerking his head towards the screens. She looked away, biting her lip. "Just – watch out. But don't cause anyone unnecessary panic," he sighed, annoyed with himself for having used that tone with Iris. She was not one to take things seriously, and to force her into it before she was ready would cause complications.

Sheridan shifted, tapping his fingers against the floor, then rose to his feet. "I have to go look through some things. Hope I was helpful," he said softly, stepping carefully around the two others and heading for the door. They let him go in silence.

* * *

Lana woke when the sun was highest in the sky. She took a moment to decide whether or not it would be worth getting up, and then heaved a deep sigh. Khan would likely be waiting for her appearance, and keeping him waiting with the looming presence of the Director in the building would only make him irritable. She rolled out of bed, taking the sheets with her. She wasn't expecting the cough from the other side of the room, alerting her to his presence on purpose. He must have been really worried, if he had waited to make sure he caught her.

"Stop lurking by the curtains and help untangle me from these damned sheets," Lana sighed, lying limply on the floor as Khan chuckled, stepping quietly across the room and bending to extricate her.

"I wasn't lurking. Somebody with better hearing would have noticed me right away. I made sure to breathe for you," he hummed, pretending he hadn't seen her mouth a curse. She stretched and stepped over the mound of fabric to dig through the dresser, searching for clothes she'd washed in the last month. It was a raging mess, if she was being honest. Khan's drawers were more organized than a military cemetery. "I had Sheridan break through the censor."

She twisted to look at him, taking a deep breath. "What did you find this time?"

"Six augments killed an American official. Don't know who, or why, but now six Augments are dead and we haven't a reason for any of it. Janice threatened us with inspections, whatever that means. We should all be put down, by normal standards," Khan huffed, turning away from her to stare out the windows. _He's worried about it, and he's not telling me everything he knows. Is here? I'm too suspicious… this is Khan. Expect it. _

Lana swallowed, turning back to the dresser and pulling out a random set of clothing. "I doubt it will affect us immediately… Still. As a warning; Lilith has been acting erratically. Janice will notice soon, and if she allows _inspections… _Something could go wrong." Khan nodded, without turning back to her, the set of his shoulders tense. He was slipping on his control. She took another deep breath and quickly dressed. This was going to be a longer day than normal.

* * *

"Resentment has grown, your Honor. The Treasurer's assassination cannot go unpunished." The voice came from a man with slicked-back hair and a pen in his hand, which he constantly tapped against the table. The other two people in the overly large room ignored it.

"The Augments responsible _have _been punished, Mr. Darcy. They were put to death for their crime. Without trial, due process, and after they peacefully surrendered, too. I think you got your punishment, Mr. Darcy," the other man at the long, dark table responded, his voice gruff. Both of the other two looked at this man with respect, their eyes occasionally flicking to the various medals on his otherwise plain uniform.

"Your Honor, Mr. Darcy, I'd like to file a complaint," the woman finally stated, raising her chin slightly as the eyes of both men came to rest on her. She had donned her lab coat for the day, and had not bothered doing anything about the chemical stain on the collar or about her hair, which had begun escaping determinedly from its bun.

"Speak up, Ms. Karen," the gruff man with the title of 'Honor' coughed, proving a lifelong habit of smoking was bad for the lungs.

"Your Honor, her name should be referred to as Director," Darcy cut in, tapping his pen on the table for each word he spoke.

"Thank you, Mr. Darcy. Continue, Director."

Karen nodded, squaring her shoulders again and forcing herself to make eye contact with the Justice. He remained relaxed. Karen always worried about formalities, but it was easier than dealing with Janice's dodging questions. "Your Honor, it is not American to kill peacefully-surrendering men and women without proper processing, or a Director's approval."

"Objection, your Honor. Augments are neither American citizens nor are they legally classified as human. They have no rights in that manner." Both Karen and the Justice gave Darcy a dry look of varying degrees of parched. He appeared not to notice.

"Thank you, Mr. Darcy. I am aware of the legal ramifications of killing Augments. But have you considered the small-mindedness of failing to give non-humans rights?"

"Sir?"

"Cryogenics is a proven science. We've been to outer space, Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy, we have _left _the _solar system." _

Darcy looked scandalized, his well-polished façade dropping slightly as he scoffed. "Are you referring to a potential for alien life, your Honor? Not even Directors believe in that nonsense!"

"Is that so, Mr. Darcy? Director Karen, your opinion, please," The Justice returned smoothly, raising his graying eyebrows slightly at the Director.

"I believe in alien life, your Honor," Karen shrugged, ignoring the betrayed snort Darcy gave off, the pen tapping agitatedly.

"See, Mr. Darcy? Open your mind."

"Ridiculous."

"Maybe. Still, a valid concern. Director Karen, I have to deny your complaint. We don't want to involve Director Janice, do we?"

The room seemed to take a simultaneous breath, Darcy and Karen both leaning back in the slightest degree. Besides the fact she was a foreigner… there was something mildly disturbing about the woman. "…No. Your Honor, is it too late to transfer Khan Noonien Singh and Culann Keen to… hell, anywhere else. Just out of her influence."

"If you had known she was going to be holding such high threats back when they were children… I could have done something. Now? I have surveillance footage of the two sparring for _fun, _and, Director Karen, it is the most brutal thing I have ever been witness to. It was akin to bears fighting over salmon." The Justice shuddered once, the most telling body language the other two had ever seen out of him.

Darcy sighed, exchanging a regretful glance with the Director. "That means nothing, your Honor. I agree with Director Karen. Janice cannot be trusted with such powerful weapons. If they cannot be removed, they should be eliminated."

"Isn't that a bit extreme, Darcy? These are people. I would know; I saw them grow," Karen murmured, looking more troubled than she had before. The Justice rubbed at his eyes. Darcy laughed.

"What, do you think they _like _you? You're an American, and a human, and six Augments have recently died under your care."

"I resent that accusation! It's the fault of people like _you _they died in the first place! _I _certainly didn't push them to assassinate the Treasurer! I think the real question here is _who did?" _

The Justice slid in again, steepling his fingers in front of him regally. "Director Karen, Mr. Darcy, please. I think we can rule out either of you. Director Janice had been visiting that month, had she not?"

"Yes, your Honor," the other two said simultaneously, both sounding unsure. The Justice nodded, leaning back into his padded chair, and fell silent.

* * *

2 YEARS EARLIER

"Fuck you, Lana. I know I hit it – Old _Richard _could have that smashed, you know it!" Martin protested in a shout, picking up Lana and slinging her over his back without a huff of an exertion. She smacked the back of his blond head.

"Fuck _you!" _She snickered, twisting around his shoulders so she could point ahead at the target, where a horseshoe was embedded in an old, rusting truck. The horseshoe was a few centimeters away from a dark black circle, colored there in marker. "You're off-center! Khan, Charis, back me up here!"

"She's got you, Martin – aren't you always making fun of _her _eyes?" Charis laughed, crouching beside the makeshift target, shaking with amusement. A glowing figure, compared to who she would become in several months. Khan chuckled, walking up beside Martin and rescuing Lana from his grasp and setting her ground.

"Come on you three; we're not supposed to be in town this late. Let's go home before somebody gets in trouble."


End file.
